When comparing Legend of Dungeon vs Shovel Knight, the Slant community recommends Shovel Knight for most people. In the question“What are the best Kickstarter games on Steam?” Shovel Knight is ranked 5th while Legend of Dungeon is ranked 20th. The most important reason people chose Shovel Knight is:
Shovel Knight has very colorful pixelated graphics, a decent chiptune soundtrack, excellent 8-bit sound effects, and the controls feel really fluid and responsive. So whether you’re just running through a castle, shoveling away at gems in a tunnel, or even jumping on a dragon’s head, Shovel Knight is a blast to play.
Specs
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Pros
Pro No VR sickness
Since the player is not controlling an avatar from the first person, but instead is detached from what is happening within the world, there is no risk of motion sickness.
Pro Randomised mayhem adds lots of replayability
As is par for the course in roguelikes, everything in the game is randomised. Items, weapons, buffs and enemies are different with each play through and levels are procedurally generated adding to the replayability of the game considerably.
Pro Couch co-op
The game supports up to four-player local co-op.
Pro Great sound design
Pro Feels great to play
Shovel Knight has very colorful pixelated graphics, a decent chiptune soundtrack, excellent 8-bit sound effects, and the controls feel really fluid and responsive. So whether you’re just running through a castle, shoveling away at gems in a tunnel, or even jumping on a dragon’s head, Shovel Knight is a blast to play.
Pro Great for couch co-op
Because Shovel Knight can be pretty hard at times, bringing a friend along can help out a lot. The two of you can work together to take down enemies and communicate the best ways to handle jumps and special skills. Plus, if one of you is more experienced with the game, that player can help the newcomer along and teach them the ropes instead of leaving them to figure out everything on their own, possibly to the point of frustration. Playing this game with another person is a fun way to bring back the feeling of couch co-op on the older retro systems.
Pro A unique experience
Shovel Knight has 2D pixel art, a simple gameplay, and a retro feel. It stands out in an era dominated by 3D titles with super detailed graphics and convoluted gameplay because of its influences from classics like Zelda, Castlevania, Duck Tales, and even Super Mario Bros. It’s not just trying to cash in on the nostalgia of older players because it’s a game that can be enjoyed by anyone thanks to its polish.
Pro Pretty fun risk versus reward system
In each stage, there are multiple checkpoints you can revive at if you die. The twist is that you can destroy the checkpoints for extra treasure. Doing this also means you’ll have to start from the beginning of the stage if you die. It’s a pretty cool way to increase difficulty and add tension to a playthrough, especially because it’s never forced on you.
Cons
Con Difficult to use inventory system
The inventory requires scrolling through a single line of items. That process can be tedious on its own, but becomes even more frustrating since that makes the inventory almost impossible to use during combat because the game doesn't pause while the inventory is browsed.
Con Simplistic combat mechanic
The combat consists of walking up to an enemy and pressing the attack button to swing whatever weapon is currently in hand or long-pressing it to charge up a cleave attack. That's it.
Con Can be frustrating
While Shovel Knight captures a lot of SNES era’s good parts, it also brings back some of the bad parts. It's mostly the hidden enemies that attack you as soon as you approach their hiding spots, causing you to take needless damage or even die. This adds a really tedious trial and error aspect that forces you to memorize all enemy placements just so you can beat a stage. In addition to dealing with the enemies, the timing of jumps or using special skills at the right moment adds to the frustration. Press the button too early or too late and you'll end up back at the start of a platforming section or worse, dead.